Simpsonichthys constanciae Barra de São João

[stormhawk]

Hi everyone,

This South American annual killifish is currently under a conservation project here in Singapore as they are under threat of extinction within their home range due to habitat loss and degradation. They are beautiful fishes in their own right, even though their colours are nowhere near the colours found on their cousins, Simpsonichthys magnificus and fulminantis. But given proper care and feeding, the males will develop long fin extensions to the dorsal and anal fins. There is a slight bluish tinge on the dorsal and the body is full of dark brown spots. They do best in planted tanks and their shyness is somewhat replaced by a fearless attitude when housed in spacious and planted surroundings. Pictures of the fish will be displayed on this thread at a later date as we are in the process of taking some new pictures.

Ronnie Lee has several sexable pairs to be given away. Last approximate count has about 7 young pairs available for parties interested. The pairs will be chosen at Ronnie's discretion. On a first come first serve basis, the fish will be given to those who are willing to help out in the conservation project. There will be eggs available from myself to those who want them and are willing to help out but this is on an availability-at-the-moment basis. These eggs will be available to foreign members of this forum as well, shipping not included :P Please indicate your interest here on this thread and we will reply as soon as possible. You will have the chance to own an endangered fish which has been underrated by many people. Closing date for this offer will be the 31st of May 2004.

For those who doubt their vulnerable status read the following URL taken from the IUCN Redlist of Threatened Species.
http://www.redlist.org/search/details.php?species=6084
Note: Cynolebias constanciae was the old scientific name for Simpsonichthys constanciae.

P.S. Please reply to this thread. No PMs please, and if you don't intend to spawn them, please don't take 'em :wink:

[turaco]

Ronnie,

Guess I need to loan another of your "king kong" male again. I had quite a healthy numbers of CON before until some disease strike. I'm left with 2 females now . I'll gladly spread this fish around once they start to establish again. You will get some 'goodies' in return.

[timebomb]

Hi, folks,

Click here if you want to see pictures of the fish. I believe Ronnie's Simp constainciae were from me. I got them as eggs from Tony Terceira. It can't be described as a lovely fish but it has outstanding finnages. They are prolific egg layers. I hatched hundreds of them from a single bag of peat.

Loh K L

[RonWill]

Yup Kwek Leong, what goes around, comes around. It was almost 2 years ago when I receive these constanciae (only one 'i') from you.

Although Simpsonichthys are annual species, the original constanciae adults are still robust and alert, celebrating their 'retirement' in a permanent setup of their own.

Interested members will be receiving their offsprings. Under appropriate conditions and given plenty of TLC, these fishes have much to offer.

Please assist in broadening the safety net for them by adopting a pair today.

Gan, let me know the size of the 2 females and I'll reserve a suitable mate for them.

[howler]

Hello all

I´m writing right now following your instructions to answer here and not to send a PM.
I´ll happily take some of those eggs if posible and I´ll certainly try to spawn them.
Please give us, international members, further information.

Thank You.

[stormhawk]

http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrow...elected=886419

Look through the album, there's only a single picture. Here's the pic of a young male constanciae swimming in my tank. Fish was raised by Ronnie Lee before I came along and took him back home.

Juan, email me your address and I'll see what I can do for you. Most likely the pair will spawn again. So far they haven't failed me yet :wink:

[Slaigar]

I would be interested for some eggs. If there are any to spare, give me a holler. A breeding project sounds fun and interesting. In respect for those with more experience, place them in preference before me.

[stormhawk]

Quick update :

Due to some tank reshuffling at Ronnie's Killie Hotel (oh yes, it's open for business! ), all the juveniles and subadults are now at my home so for local hobbyists who wish to obtain a pair to try out, please email or leave me a PM. I will be glad to answer any queries you might have. As usual, the closing date for the offer will be 31st of May 04. These guys deserve a second look. :wink:

[Slaigar]

To those interested in this species, I have found an article on them from the New Zealand Killifish Association:
http://nzka.killi.net/species/sim-con.html

[RonWill]

Thanks for the link, Mark. I would like to highlight the last paragraph...

"This species has recently been placed in the Appendix II (threatened) of Cities (one of the endangered species lists).

Another importation of wild stock is unlikely so what is left in the hobby must be nurtured and propagated by Concerned hobbyists.

There is a chance that they may have become extinct in the wild (reprinted from AKA 25(5) 163-164 (1992)".

Again, I'd appeal to those who're interested, to try and spread the safety-net, ensuring the continuity of the species. Thanks.

[timebomb]

Hi, everyone,

I was surfing around looking for information about extinction of species when I came across this paragraph -

Until the 18th century, an average of about 0.25 species of living things became extinct per year. This rate jumped to one species per year in the 19th century, to 1,000 species per year in 1975, and to 40,000 species per year by around the year 2000.

40,000 a year would mean more than a hundred species disappearing every day I don't know about you but such statistics make me feel like crying

I wonder, as fish keepers, are we the cause or are we the solution? Could it be because we covet them, the fish are hunted down to the point of extinction? Or is it because their natural habitats are being destroyed?

Whatever, if we can just save one fish from being lost forever, we should all do our part. Jianyang, if there's enough to go around, I would like to have a pair of Simp constanciae back in my tanks. I'll breed them again and spread the eggs around.

Loh K L

[stormhawk]

KL, I have more than enough young pairs to go around. There'll be a pair ready for you. Tell me when you want them.

[Slaigar]

Hobbyists are not the main cause of the extinction of species but we do add to problem. I remember hearing years back that the Madagascar lace leaf was being threatened in its own environment because of the demand for the plant. The pressure is no longer as strong with nurseries now propagating the existing plants that they have.

Logging and deforestation are destroying many rainforests around the world. It can get out of hand because some countries lack protective rights due to large debts. Though we cannot stop the destruction of natural habitats, we can bring the pressure off specimens by breeding them. At the same time, we can make people aware of what is happening. Though people know that rainforests are destroyed, they are oblivious to how fast it happens.

[timebomb]

I remember hearing years back that the Madagascar lace leaf was being threatened in its own environment because of the demand for the plant.

Mark, I met a reptile breeder from Madagascar a few months ago and he sent these photographs which seems to suggest the plant is no longer under threat of extinction

Olaf Pronk's daughter, Hanitra holding a Madagascar leaf.


An Aponogeton flower


Aponogetons in the wild


Loh K L

[stormhawk]

To Kwek Leong, Rashid and Zul,

The pairs that you 3 have asked for are now at Ronnie's place. Please pick them up from him as soon as possible as they're in a holding tank. The females are still young but I believe that once they're fattened up, they'll be ready for spawning.

In any case, I still have quite a number of juveniles at home which are, in my opinion, already sexed-out so I should have at least 3 more pairs to go around. They do need some more growing out before spawning if possible. So if you need anymore do contact me. For others out there who are interested in taking part in the program, contact me too.

For those who have contacted me regarding the eggs, the fish have given me more infertile eggs than fertile eggs so I hope you'll be patient enough to wait a little more longer for a better egg count. I myself cannot wait to see these guys grow up in your tanks, wherever they might be :wink:.

[Slaigar]

Hello Ron and Jianyang,
How is the project coming along? I do not mean to rush the progress, I am just curious since there has been a lack of news.

[stormhawk]

Hi Mark,

Sorry I didn't contact you earlier regarding this. The young pairs have not been very fertile. Most of the eggs laid were infertile. I have no idea why this is going on. I have been feeding them and "pumping" them up with live tubifex so hopefully there'll be some great news. I will contact you and Juan shortly regarding the eggs. Hopefully I'll have some good news then. :wink:

P.S. Its okay to ask. Shows that you're still interested and that's a good sign.

[Slaigar]

Hi Jianyang,
Glad to hear the project is still alive! I am still definitely interested and wish you the best of luck. Could the possibility be they are too young? Another month or two to allow the juveniles to mature may be needed.

[RonWill]

Jian Yang,
Since the live-fish shipment to Tom worked better than I had expected, I've been thinking of some "fish eggs" for Mark. Do you have only eggs/frys or are all the sub-adults with Kwek Leong? Once sexable, bring along a pair and I'll wrap it up.

Mark,
Contact Jian Yang off-forum with your address and we'll work out what's needed.

[stormhawk]

Digging up an old thread. Sorry fellas the project failed. I couldn't get them going because the last female died. Here's a picture of the last young male in my hands, one of two males that are in my possession. This species is officially going down the path of extinction in Singapore if there's no other person still keeping them. All I need is a healthy female to pair up with this male. Sadly so this picture may be all that remains to remind us of a fish that was highly under-rated by many keepers.

Anyway here's a picture of the male in my tank. Pardon the spot algae.



KL, do you still have these in your possession from the group of young fish I passed you some time ago at Eco? I hope I get some good news.